Transcriptional factor Yin Yang 1 promotes the stemness of breast cancer cells by suppressing miR-873-5p transcriptional activity

Abstract Transcription factor yin yang 1 (YY1) is upregulated in multiple tumors and plays essential roles in tumor proliferation and metastasis. However, the function of YY1 in breast cancer stemness remains unclear. Herein, we found that YY1 expression was negatively correlated with the overall survival and relapse-free survival of breast cancer patients, and positively correlated with the expression of stemness markers in breast cancer. Overexpression of YY1 increased the expression of stemness markers, elevated CD44+CD24− cell sub-population, enhanced the capacity of cell spheroid formation and tumor-initiation. In contrast, YY1 knockdown exhibited the opposite effects. Mechanistically, YY1 decreased miR-873-5p level by recruiting histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) and HDAC9 to miR-873-5p promoter and thus increasing the deacetylation level of miR-873-5p promoter. Sequentially, YY1 activated the downstream PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 pathways, which have been confirmed to be suppressed by miR-873-5p in our recent work. Moreover, the suppressed effect of YY1/miR-873-5p axis on the stemness of breast cancer cells was partially dependent on PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 pathways. Finally, it was found that the YY1/miR-873-5p axis is involved in the chemoresistance of breast cancer cells. Our study defines a novel YY1/miR-873-5p axis responsible for the stemness of breast cancer cells.